Sheet-carrying mechanism



J. G. HARDIE.

SHEET CARRYING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29. I918- 1,310,618. Patehted July 22,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I INVENTOR J. G. HARDIE. SHEET CARRYING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29. I918.

1,319,618. Patented July 22,1919. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

. JAMES GeH-ARDIE, 0F OANTQN NEW YORK.

snnnr-carmxme MECHANISM,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES G. HARDIE, a

citizen of the United States'of America, and V a resident of Canton, county of St. Lawrence, and State of. New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Sheet-Carrying Mechanism, of which the,

following is a specification; e

The present invention relates to unprovements 1n a sheet-carrying mechanlsm for printing presses and the like, in which a bank of, sheets is fed singly to a cylinder press or'o-ther sheet-handling mechanism.

The object ofthis invention is to provide means to move a bank of sheets forwardin- 'termittently whilethe single sheets are fed moist atmosphere.

The accompanying illustrations show the invention mounted upon a printing press; although itmay be used in connection with other kinds ofmachines to-which sheets are singly fed.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

Referring to the various are as follows:

General form of. coast motion;

In Figure l is shown a general construction of my inventiommounted upon a printing pressof any welhknown type. The

feedtable is, extended backward to whatever length may be desired; Upon the rear of this feed-table is mounted: a tail-board which enables the operator, when loading the stock, to push an armful of stock across the; feed-table,- upon the smooth tail-board, without the stocks contacting the belts, which, if contacted by the stock, will mar and damage the stock, as well as to impede the loading" of the stock, especially when.

putting up the first lift.

In the front end of the feed-table is journaled a. shaft carrying" belt-pulleys and; a

5'5 ratchet, belts. are. assed around, the feedtatl eeiew the tai board,- andover pulleys Specification of Letters Patent.

new .fea-.

figures, which e V moisture. This covering may be rolled up,

Batented July 212., 1919.

Application filed March 29, 1918. Serial No. 225,395.

wlgilch are j ournaled in each endof the feedta 'e.

During-damp or dry Weather, these belts are-keptat a practical tautness with the aid ofthe spring-adjustable, rear-bearing.

' A depending armmay be either pivotally attached tothe press-frame direct, or it may be attached to the bottom of the feed-table. This arm has a foot pivotally-attachedto it and adapted to be swung upwardly out of the pathway of travel of the typeebed, so that the mechanism will be dormant only when it is desired to move thebank ofstock forward. This foot is so designed with an extended endthat when it isallowed to fall, it will become operative in connection with the arm to which it is pivoted, and thus swing the arm backward while the foot contacts the moving type-bed; The whole construction' of the arm and its connection is such, that, by gravity, they will return to the desired position whenever the type-bed moves forward.

' The foot-treadle is so located as to be convenient for the feeder to reach it with his foot, so as tomake the whole mechanism operative without interfering with the constant feeding ofthe sheets by hand, asthe stock is moved forward while the press is kept working.

A roll of flexible material is suitably journaled, in the rear of the tail-board to. cover the stock which is pilediupon the feed table, especially when the stock lies, unused, over night, when the atmosphere is laden with as illustrated, when the P ess is in pe at1on.

Desarip tz'on 0 f parts in; detail.

Fig. 1, A, is the press-frame ,Bis the impression cylinder, C is the. type-bed, D-is the feeders seat;l is the main feed-table which is rigidly attached to thepress-frame,

the rear end of which is supportedby the connecting the arm 3 and the arm 10 which are pivotally mounted upon the shaft 11 which is journaled in the front end of the feedtable 1 12 is a ratchet rigidly mounted upon the shaft 11; 13 is a pawl pivotally mounted 011 the arm 10 and engages the ratchet 12 14 is a plurality of belts which passes around the feed-table l and over the pulleys 15 which are mounted upon the shaft 11, and also passes around the pulleys 16 which are journaled in the movable bracket 17 mounted upon the threaded rod 18 which is slidably mounted in the bracket 19 which is rigidlv attached to the bottom side of the feedtable. Upon the threaded rod 18 is a compression-spring 20 and an adjusting-nut 21; 22am guides fastened to the bottom side of the tail-boardbetween which the bracket 17 slides.

. Fig. 1, 24: is a flexible cover wound upon a shaft jourlnaled in the brackets 25, which may be fastened to the tail-board or to the feed-table as desired, so long as the roll is behind the tail-board, in order not to be in the way of loading the stock. This flexible cover should preferably. be wider than the stock so as to hang over the edges to securely protect the stock from its gathering moisture, and thus shrink the stock, especially when it is piled upon the feed-table over night,

Fig. 2, is an end view of the rear beltpulleys showing the guides 22 on either side of the bracket 17, which contacts the tailboard to be kept in position.

Fig. 3 is a plan View showing the various parts described and illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Mamwr 0 7 operation.

The stock is loaded by commencing at the rear of the table, pushing a folded lift of sheets upon the tail-board, across the feed- As the sheets are then fed singly to the press' and it becomes necessary to move the bank forward, to be within easy reach of the operator, he presses the-pedal with his foot, which has the effect to allow the foot 4: to take a perpendicular position and thus fall in the pathway of travel of the type-bed, which has the effectto rock the arm 3 back Ward, and, by gravity, or by a spring if desired,the arm will return to its forward position again to be moved backward by the bed, and through the intervening parts of links, pawl, and ratchet the front shaft carryingthe sheets will-be intermittently rotated, thus bringing the bank ofstock forward to the desired position. Then, as the operator removes his foot from the pedal, which is sufficiently counter-Weighted, it

will again raise the foot on the depending arm up out of the pathway of the type-bed.

hen fabric is used for belting, it is liable to shrink whenever the atmosphere is damp, and whenever the air is dry the belts will stretch; hence to meet these varying conditions, I use a slidable bearing, backed by a spring, so that the rear bearing may compensate for the varying conditions of the weather. i

I have illustrated and described my invention in connection with a printing press having an impression cylinder and a reci )rocat ing type-bed; however I do not con ne my invention to this form of printing press or machine, but wish to claim broadly its use in connection with any form of machine to which sheets are fed singly and to have the invention operated by any part of the machine that will rock the depending arm, regardless of whether such part reci rocates or rotates. I do not, therefore, con ne myself to the particular form shown, but wish to use any means that will ratchet a bank of stock forward with means to make such element inoperative. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a printing press having an impression cylinder and a reciprocating type-bed, the eombination'therewith of a feed-table mounted thereon, a main shaft journaled near the front end of said table, pulleys mounted upon said shaft, pulleys mounted near the rear end of said table, belts passing around said table and upon said pulleys, a

depending arm pivotally mounted and normally in the pathway of the type-bed with means to move said arm out of the pathway of said type-bed, connections between said ratchet and the said depending arm.

2. In aprinting press having an impression cylinder and a reciprocating typebed, the combination therewith of a feed-table mounted thereon, a main shaft journaled near the front end of said table, pulleys mounted upon said shaft, ulleys mounted near the rear end of said table, belts passing around saidtable and upon said pulleys, a depending arm pivotally mounted, a. member pivotally attached to said depending arm and normally in the pathway of said type-bed; a ratchet rigid upon said mainshaft, connections between said ratchet and said depending arm. v

8. In a printing press having a reciproeating type-bed, the combination therewith of a feed-table mounted thereon, a mainshaft journaled near the front end of said feed-table, pulleys rigid upon said shaft, pulleys mounted near the. rear end of said feed-table, belts passing around said table and upon said pulleys, a depending arm pivotally mounted, amember pivotally attached to said d pendi g a m and normally in the pathway of said type-bed, a treadle pivotally mounted with suitable connections between said treadle and said pivoted member adapted normally to hold said member out of the pathway of said type-bed, a ratchet upon said malnshaft, connections between said ratchet and the said depending arm.

4. In a printing press the combination of a feed-table mounted thereon, a member attached to said table, a threaded rod slidably mounted in said member, a spring mounted upon said rod, a set-nut upon said rod and contacting said spring, a tail-board attached to said feed-table, an arbor-bracket mounted upon the said threaded rod and contacting said tail-board, members attached to said tail-board to guide said arbor bracket, a pulley mounted in said arbor-bracket, a belt passing around said pulley.

5. In a printing press the combination of a feed table mounted thereon, a member mounted closely adjacent the rear end on a plane above and parallel to said table, powerrotated pulleys journaled in said table, belts mounted upon said pulleys and passing between said table and said member.

7 JAMES G. HARDIE. Witnesses:

S. FREDERICK KEMP, S. C. MCCARTHY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). O. 

